A Sweet Treat

I was recently invited to a house warming party that included a wine tasting. The host requested each guest bring a light appetizer or dessert along with their favorite wine. It is always hard for me to pick my favorite wine because, let’s face it, they are all my favorite at some time or another!  It depends on the day or the occasion; for this particular occasion I decided to go a little outside of the box and take something one may not expect. I anticipated a lot of reds, whites and roses at the party but not a fortified wine. The Zinfandel Port would be the perfect wine to pair with a dark chocolate dessert.

Now let’s talk about a favorite dessert recipe of mine: Oreo Cake Pops. They are fun to make and the recipe I have is simple and pairs perfectly with our Zinfandel Port.  Plus, they were a hit at the party!

Oreo Cake Pops

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Oreo cookies (18 ounces)
• 1 package of cream cheese (8 ounces), at room temperature
• Cake pop or lollipop sticks
• 1 package of chocolate chips, I prefer dark chocolate to pair with the Port (8 ounces)
• 1 Styrofoam flat to hold cake pops while drying

Instructions:

1. Crush the Oreos until they are crumbled. I like to use a food processor, as it crumbles them up perfectly.
2. Once the cookies are crumbled, transfer them into a mixing bowl and mix with cream cheese.  Place the mixture into the freezer for about 30 minutes to ensure it is extra cold. This will help form the cake balls.
3. While the mixture of Oreos and cream cheese is setting, prepare an oiled cookie sheet and the cake pop sticks. Then melt ½ cup of the chocolate chips and put to the side.
4. Remove the mixture from the freezer and begin to form golf ball sized cake balls and place on cookie sheet. Once all cake pops have been formed, dip the cake pop sticks end into the melted chocolate and then stick the chocolate dipped cake pop stick into the cake pop. This helps secure the cake pop on the lollipop stick.
5. Now freeze the cake pops for another 30 minutes so they have time to set on the sticks.
6. While the cake pops are setting, put the Styrofoam flat on a cookie sheet. This flat will be used to hold the cake pops once they are dipped in chocolate. Melt the remainder of the chocolate right before the cake pops are done setting (30 minutes).
7. Remove cake pops from freezer and begin dipping cake pops one by one in the chocolate. As you are finished dipping each cake pop allow excess chocolate to run back into melted bowl of chocolate and then stick the cake pop right side up in the Styrofoam. Once all cakes are coated in chocolate, allow the cake pops to dry. This can be done in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
8. Sprinkles or other fun decorations are optional. I like to wrap the cake pops in clear bags with bows!

—Lindsay Neumann

–Which Ponte wine would you bring to a wine tasting party?